jeanz's review
5.0
INITIAL THOUGHTS
As I really loved reading the novella My Daylight Monsters I naturally put this one onto my Want To Read List. I wanted to learn more about the character of Mary before moving onto the novels too. To be totally truthful the whole ghost aspect of the book is not my usual genre to read but there's something about this series that is calling me to read it.
MY REVIEW
I was given a free copy of this novella via the author in exchange for my honest review. The cover of Spirals is bright orange which represents the fire that features in this novella's plot. The girl looking lost, I would say is Mary Hades. The fact the female on the cover looks somewhat lost and unhappy also fits well with the way Mary is reacting and the confusion and mood she is feeling in this novella.
So would the cover make me pick this book up from a book store shelf? I think the cover would interest me enough to pick up the book to read the blurb, which would then encourage me to purchase this novella. I think the cover really fits a possible scene within the plot, as well as representing the character Mary's emotions throughout the book too.
So I should now admit I read My Daylight Monsters before Spirals (it wasn't available at that time) though the author assures the reader Spirals can be read at any point during the Series. This novella is set before My Daylight Monsters so it is a pre-prequel. The main character in this novella is Mary Hades, the good geeky girl who goes to every class, dresses in whatever clothes she has to hand (so not a slave to fashion), doesn't smoke or drink, and whose father is already coaching her for her inevitable Oxbridge interview. However Mary changes when she becomes friends with Anita Bridgewater, a girl who Mary admires and wishes she could be more like. Anita is popular, wears trendy clothes and has a don't care attitude, she drinks and smokes if she wants to, skips class, and isn't afraid of talking back to the teachers. It's quite a coincidence how they meet in the school yard, and Anita invites Mary to go to the park with her instead of class. A small thing to Anita but a much larger leap for Mary who has never skipped a class in her life. They go buy chip butties and sit in the park and become friends almost immediately. Though Anita is confident she lacks the social skills that Mary takes for granted, whereas Mary is naive and Anita is streetwise. Though she may not show it Anita does immediately value Mary's friendship. The two girls share a drink of the bottle of gin Anita has inside her jacket. The problem with the girls friendship is that it involves Mary becoming more and more involved with drinking, smoking and skipping school. Some would say that Anita is leading Mary astray I guess, but on the other hand Mary has a mind of her own and though she questions her own actions a few times, she is the one who ultimately decides to go ahead and do all these things she knows that her parents would not approve of. The wagging (skipping school) and drinking increase with Mary using one of her more geeky friends Diana as an alibi whilst she sleeps off her drinking at Anita's house.
The other thing that is drawing Mary from the straight and narrow is Mike Parkinson, the guy she crushes on who hangs out and drinks with Anita and her friends too.
Mary's other problem is she keeps seeing zombies.....yes zombies! They are dressed in grey, have green tinged skin,brittle balding hair and a bloodshot eye. The first time it happens is in the classroom and the zombie manages to communicate via writing on the black board to Mary that something bad is going to happen. The second time Mary see's a zombie, the situation is even more dangerous. . .will she decipher the zombies message in time. . . who will survive? . . . who will die? And how will all this affect Mary?
I enjoyed reading this novella, learning more about Mary and how she went from high grade student to ending up in a psyche ward. I really adored the character of Anita too. The way she tries to match make her friends, whilst holding her own secret, which I didn't think of until it was revealed in the book. Anita's secret shows you a smaller, more vulnerable side to her loud larger character. I will admit I wasn't keen on Mike throughout the book at all, and I felt justified in this by the ending of the book too.
So did I enjoy the novella? Yes, I did, it gave me a more in depth view of Mary, how she had changed and why she was like the was she is. Would I recommend the novella? Yes, I think it would be an enjoyable read no matter whereabouts in the series you read it, as I said above it gives a more in depth view of Mary's character. Would I want to read more of this series? After reading this novella it has certainly encouraged me to want to read more of this series, even though if I'm totally honest I don't usually read much horror/ghost type books. Would I want to read other titles by this author? I do actually have more titles by this author on my tablet/kindle that I have purchased over time, that I intend to read when I can.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Wow! we learn a lot more about Mary Hades, no wonder she ends up on a psyche ward. What with the near fatal accidents, fires and seeing zombies, it's no wonder she thinks she is crazy herself too. Looking forward to reading both more of this series and more titles by this author. All I need now is 2 or 3 hours extra every day just to devote to my reading.
Ooo I also have to add I loved the Yorkshire-isms in the book too!
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